The law as Act on the Arrangement of Related Acts upon the Enforcement of the Act Partially Amending the Civil Code, etc. (Act No. 46 of 2026) leaves it, with the words it changes marked.
The main text is read a page at a time: a chapter to a page, and a long chapter in runs of articles. The whole main text, and the supplementary provisions and appended tables this amendment changes. Those it leaves untouched are on the page for the text in force.
Part III Maritime Commerce第三編 海商
Chapter I Ships第一章 船舶
Section 1 General Provisions第一節 総則
Article 684第六百八十四条
Definition(定義)
Article 684, paragraph (1)
The term "ship" as used in this Part (excluding Article 747) means a ship that is used in a voyage at sea for the purpose of conducting a commercial transaction (excluding a ship's tender or a boat steered solely or mainly using oars or paddles).
The objects entered in a ship's inventory of equipment are presumed to be accessories of the ship.
船舶の属具目録に記載した物は、その従物と推定する。
Article 685, paragraph (2)
The form of a ship's inventory of equipment is specified by Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
属具目録の書式は、国土交通省令で定める。
Section 2 Ownership of Ships第二節 船舶の所有
Subsection 1 General Provisions第一款 総則
Article 686第六百八十六条
Registration of Ship(船舶の登記等)
Article 686, paragraph (1)
A shipowner must register their ship and obtain a certificate of the vessel's nationality pursuant to the provisions of the Ship Act (Act No. 46 of 1899).
The provisions of the preceding paragraph do not apply to a ship with a gross tonnage of less than 20 tons.
前項の規定は、総トン数二十トン未満の船舶については、適用しない。
Article 687第六百八十七条
Requirements for Perfection of Transfer of Ownership of Ship(船舶所有権の移転の対抗要件)
Article 687, paragraph (1)
The transfer of ownership of a ship may not be asserted against a third party unless it is registered and entered in the certificate of the vessel's nationality.
Attribution of Profit and Loss in Case of Transfer of Ship at Sea(航海中の船舶を譲渡した場合の損益の帰属)
Article 688, paragraph (1)
If a ship is transferred while it is at sea, profits and losses arising from the voyage are attributed to the transferee.
航海中の船舶を譲渡したときは、その航海によって生ずる損益は、譲受人に帰属する。
Article 689第六百八十九条
Restriction on Seizure of Ships at Sea(航海中の船舶に対する差押え等の制限)
Article 689, paragraph (1)
It is not permissible to carry out a seizure or provisional seizure (other than a provisional seizure by means of registration) of a ship that is at sea (excluding a ship that is at anchor).
A shipowner is liable to compensate for loss or damage that the mariners of the ship, including the master, cause to others intentionally or negligently in the course of performing their duties.
Demanding That Members Sell Their Shares(社員の持分の売渡しの請求)
Article 691, paragraph (1)
If a ship owned by a membership company would lose Japanese nationality due to the transfer of the share of a member in charge of executing its business, another member in charge of executing its business may demand that the member in question sell that share to the other member at a reasonable price.
The particulars of the use of a ship are determined among the part owners of the ship by majority, in accordance with the value of the part owners' shares.
The part owners of a ship must bear the costs for the use of the ship in proportion to the value of their shares.
船舶共有者は、その持分の価格に応じ、船舶の利用に関する費用を負担しなければならない。
Article 694第六百九十四条
Requesting to Be Bought Out of One's Share as Part Owner of Ship(船舶共有者の持分買取請求)
Article 694, paragraph (1)
When the part owners of a ship make a decision on the following matters, a part owner objecting to the decision may demand that the other part owners buy out the objecting part owner's share at a reasonable price:
to embark on a new voyage (limited to one that has not been planned among the part owners of the ship); or
新たな航海(船舶共有者の間で予定されていなかったものに限る。)をすること。
Article 694, paragraph (1), item (ii)
to make a major repair to the ship.
船舶の大修繕をすること。
Article 694, paragraph (2)
A part owner of a ship seeking to make a demand under the provisions of the preceding paragraph must issue notice of this to the other part owners or the ship's manager within three days from the date of the decision referred to in that paragraph (in the case of a part owner who has not participated in the decision-making process, the day after the day on which the part owner is notified of the decision).
Liability of Part Owners of Ship to Third Parties(船舶共有者の第三者に対する責任)
Article 695, paragraph (1)
The part owners of a ship are liable to perform the obligations arising from the use of the ship in proportion to the value of their shares.
船舶共有者は、その持分の価格に応じ、船舶の利用について生じた債務を弁済する責任を負う。
Article 696第六百九十六条
Transfer of Shares(持分の譲渡)
Article 696, paragraph (1)
Even if the part owners of a ship have a partnership agreement, each part owner (excluding one that is the ship's manager) may transfer that part owner's share in whole or in part to another person without the consent of the other part owners.
The part owner of a ship that is the ship's manager may not transfer all or part of their share to another person without obtaining consent from all other part owners.
The part owners of a ship must appoint a ship's manager.
船舶共有者は、船舶管理人を選任しなければならない。
Article 697, paragraph (2)
All of the part owners of a ship must consent in order to appoint a person that is not a part owner as the ship's manager.
船舶共有者でない者を船舶管理人とするには、船舶共有者の全員の同意がなければならない。
Article 697, paragraph (3)
The appointment of a ship's manager must be registered. The same applies to the extinguishment of the ship's manager's authority to represent the part owners.
The provisions of Article 9 apply mutatis mutandis to the registration under the provisions of the preceding paragraph.
第九条の規定は、前項の規定による登記について準用する。
Article 698第六百九十八条
Ship's Manager's Authority to Act as Agent(船舶管理人の代理権)
Article 698, paragraph (1)
A ship's manager has the authority to perform any and all acts in and out of court on behalf of the part owners of the ship in connection with the use of the ship, except for those set forth in the following:
embarking on a new voyage (limited to one that has not been planned among the part owners of the ship);
新たな航海(船舶共有者の間で予定されていなかったものに限る。)をすること。
Article 698, paragraph (1), item (iv)
making a major repair to the ship; and
船舶の大修繕をすること。
Article 698, paragraph (1), item (v)
borrowing money.
借財をすること。
Article 698, paragraph (2)
A limitation on the ship's manager's authority to act as agent may not be asserted against a third party in good faith.
船舶管理人の代理権に加えた制限は、善意の第三者に対抗することができない。
Article 699第六百九十九条
Obligations of Ship's Manager(船舶管理人の義務)
Article 699, paragraph (1)
A ship's manager must keep books concerning their duties and enter in them all information concerning the use of the ship.
船舶管理人は、その職務に関する帳簿を備え、船舶の利用に関する一切の事項を記載しなければならない。
Article 699, paragraph (2)
The ship's manager must settle the accounts concerning the use of the ship for each specified period and request approval from the part owners of the ship.
Demanding That Part Owners of Ship Sell Their Shares(船舶共有者の持分の売渡しの請求等)
Article 700, paragraph (1)
If a ship would lose Japanese nationality due to the transfer of the share of a part owner of the ship or due to a part owner's loss of Japanese nationality, another part owner may demand that the part owner in question sell their share to the other part owner at a reasonable price or put the share up for auction.
A lessee of a ship that uses that ship in a voyage at sea for the purpose of conducting commercial transactions bears the obligation to make the repairs needed to enable the use of the ship if the ship incurs any damage after the lessee receives it; provided, however, that this does not apply if the cause of the damage is attributable to the lessor.
Rights and Obligations of Ship's Lessee(船舶の賃借人の権利義務等)
Article 703, paragraph (1)
A lessee of a ship prescribed in the preceding Article has the same rights and obligations as the shipowner toward third parties as it concerns particulars related to the use of the ship.
In the case referred to in the preceding paragraph, any statutory lien arising from the use of the ship is also valid against the shipowner; provided, however, that this does not apply if the holder of the statutory lien knows that the manner in which the ship is used by the ship's lessee is in violation of the contract with the shipowner.
A time charter contract becomes effective by virtue of one party promising to man and equip a ship and to allow the other party to use the ship for a specified period, and the other party promising to pay the hire.
A time charterer may give instructions to the master concerning decisions on the ship's route and on other such necessary particulars related to the use of the ship; provided, however, that this does not apply to pre-departure inspections and other such particulars relevant to the safety of the voyage.
Fuel costs, pilotage charges, harbor charges, and any other ordinary costs incurred in connection with the use of a ship are borne by the time charterer.
船舶の燃料、水先料、入港料その他船舶の利用に関する通常の費用は、定期傭船者の負担とする。
Article 707第七百七条
Application Mutatis Mutandis of Provisions on Transportation and Ship Leasing(運送及び船舶賃貸借に関する規定の準用)
Article 707, paragraph (1)
The provisions of Article 572, Article 739, paragraph (1), and Article 740, paragraphs (1) and (3) apply mutatis mutandis when goods are transported by a ship under a time charter contract, and the provisions of Article 703, paragraph (2) apply mutatis mutandis to a statutory lien arising from the use of a ship by a time charterer. In this case, the phrase "as of the time of the ship's departure" in Article 739, paragraph (1) is deemed to be replaced with "as of the time of the ship's departure for each voyage".
The day a law or an amendment starts to apply. It is often months or years after promulgation, so that people have time to prepare. The Ministry of Justice's English usually says a law "comes into force" or "comes into effect", and sometimes calls the day its "enforcement date". Its "enforcement" more often means the word's other sense, carrying a law out, as in an Order for Enforcement (施行令), the Cabinet Order (政令) that sets out the details for carrying out an Act.
The Ministry of Justice's English of this passage has a slip, so the English shown is this site's correction of it. The Ministry printed:
The term "ship" as used in this Part (excluding Article 747) means a ship that is used in a voyage at sea for the purpose of conducting a commercial act (excluding a ship's tender or a boat steered solely or mainly using oars or paddles).
Japanese Law Translation, Ministry of Justice
Translates the law as amended by Act No. 29 of 2018 (平成三十年法律第二十九号)
Machine translation, corrected on review, not official
English translation
Written for this site with AI
Corrected by this site
The Ministry of Justice's English of this passage has a slip, so the English shown is this site's correction of it. The Ministry printed:
A part owner of a ship seeking to make a demand under the provisions of the preceding paragraph must issue notice of this to the other part owners or the ship's husband within three days from the date of the decision referred to in that paragraph (in the case of a part owner who has not participated in the decision-making process, the day on which the part owner is notified of the decision).
Japanese Law Translation, Ministry of Justice
Translates the law as amended by Act No. 29 of 2018 (平成三十年法律第二十九号)
The Ministry of Justice's English of this passage has a slip, so the English shown is this site's correction of it. The Ministry printed:
Even if the part owners of a ship have a partnership agreement, each part owner (excluding one that is the ship's husband) may transfer that part owner's share in whole or in part to another person without the consent of the other part owners.
Japanese Law Translation, Ministry of Justice
Translates the law as amended by Act No. 29 of 2018 (平成三十年法律第二十九号)
The Ministry of Justice's English of this passage has a slip, so the English shown is this site's correction of it. The Ministry printed:
The part owner of a ship that is the ship's husband may not transfer all or part of their share to another person without obtaining consent from all other part owners.
Japanese Law Translation, Ministry of Justice
Translates the law as amended by Act No. 29 of 2018 (平成三十年法律第二十九号)
The Ministry of Justice's English of this passage has a slip, so the English shown is this site's correction of it. The Ministry printed:
The appointment of a ship's husband must be registered. The same applies to the extinguishment of the ship's husband's authority to represent the part owners.
Japanese Law Translation, Ministry of Justice
Translates the law as amended by Act No. 29 of 2018 (平成三十年法律第二十九号)
The Ministry of Justice's English of this passage has a slip, so the English shown is this site's correction of it. The Ministry printed:
A ship's husband has the authority to perform any and all acts in and out of court on behalf of the part owners of the ship in connection with the use of the ship, except for those set forth in the following:
Japanese Law Translation, Ministry of Justice
Translates the law as amended by Act No. 29 of 2018 (平成三十年法律第二十九号)
The Ministry of Justice's English of this passage has a slip, so the English shown is this site's correction of it. The Ministry printed:
The ship's husband must settle the accounts concerning the use of the ship for each specified period and request approval from the part owners of the ship.
Japanese Law Translation, Ministry of Justice
Translates the law as amended by Act No. 29 of 2018 (平成三十年法律第二十九号)
The Ministry of Justice's English of this passage has a slip, so the English shown is this site's correction of it. The Ministry printed:
A lessee of a ship that uses that ship in a voyage at sea for the purpose of conducting commercial acts bears the obligation to make the repairs needed to enable the use of the ship if the ship incurs any damage after the lessee receives it; provided, however, that this does not apply if the cause of the damage is attributable to the lessor.
Japanese Law Translation, Ministry of Justice
Translates the law as amended by Act No. 29 of 2018 (平成三十年法律第二十九号)
The Ministry of Justice's English of this passage has a slip, so the English shown is this site's correction of it. The Ministry printed:
A lessee of a ship has the same rights and obligations as the shipowner toward third parties as it concerns particulars related to the use of the ship.
Japanese Law Translation, Ministry of Justice
Translates the law as amended by Act No. 29 of 2018 (平成三十年法律第二十九号)
The Ministry of Justice's English of this passage has a slip, so the English shown is this site's correction of it. The Ministry printed:
The provisions of Article 572, Article 739, paragraph (1), and Article 740, paragraphs (1) and (3) apply mutatis mutandis when goods are transported by a ship under a time charter contract, and the provisions of Article 703, paragraph (2) apply mutatis mutandis to a statutory lien arising from the use of a ship by a time charterer. In this case, the phrase "at the time of departure of the ship" in Article 739, paragraph (1) is deemed to be replaced with "at the time of departure of the ship for each voyage".
Japanese Law Translation, Ministry of Justice
Translates the law as amended by Act No. 29 of 2018 (平成三十年法律第二十九号)